Latest Transfer Talk - Who is going where this Summer?
Who? - Gareth Barry - Speculation Where is he? - Aston Villa Who is he linked with? - Liverpool
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has confirmed that he and club owner Randy Lerner have held talks with captain Gareth Barry to try and keep the England midfielder at Villa Park. The 27-year-old has been the subject of a recent bid from Liverpool and has also been linked with Chelsea and O'Neill is well aware that Barry has been unsettled by the speculation. He told the club's official website: "We've spoken to Gareth and our situation remains the same - that everyone at Aston Villa Football Club wishes very strongly that Gareth will stay. Obviously he's at a big stage of his career. He's 27 years old and he's been here almost ten years. He's due a testimonial and if he sees the club continuing to progress we definitely want to keep him. He still has two years of his contract to run and Liverpool have put in an offer that, well, it's almost debatable whether it is an offer. Things are very much up in the air and the main aim for the chairman and myself is to try and keep him at the football club. That's what we're trying to do. You can make people see out their contracts, but in essence we would want a pretty amicable solution to all of this and we're still hopeful that things can be resolved in favour of Aston Villa. I'm never overly confident, but what I would say to the fans is that we're doing our utmost and we'll continue to do so. We want to show Gareth that we mean business. Gareth, despite what has been said in some newspapers, has never expressed unhappiness at Aston Villa. We want to keep him and we've got certain things in our favour. We want a solution that everyone is happy with and the last thing you want to do is keep an unhappy player at the football club, but Gareth Barry has not expressed his unhappiness at Aston Villa."
Who? - Manuel Fernandes - Speculation Where is he? - Valencia CF Who is he linked with? - Everton
Everton manager David Moyes is pondering bringing midfielder Manuel Fernandes back to the club for a third spell. The 22-year-old Portugal international has joined the Toffees from both Benfica and Valencia in recent times, with Moyes unwilling to stump up the 12million needed to secure a permanent deal. Moyes said: "Fernandes' form towards the end of the season was much improved. He has got better, he passed the ball well. It was much like last season when he arrived and got better as things went along. He certainly looked in better shape, physically, than he did when he first came in January. We are going to assess his situation over the coming weeks, I have got a few ideas of what I want to do with him. It will happen in time."
Who? - Aleksandr Hleb - Quite likely Where is he? - Arsenal Who is he linked with? - Internazionale
The agent of Arsenal forward Aleksandr Hleb has again confirmed that his client is considering a move away from the club this summer. The 27-year-old Belarus international has been strongly linked with Internazionale in recent weeks, but Nikolai Shpilevski says that no final decision has been reached just yet. He told the Russian media: "Aleksandr understands perfectly well that he plays for a great team, but the moment has come where he needs to make a choice. Hleb has been playing in London for three years now and isn't sure whether in the future he can show the level of talent that he is showing currently. There are no problems with his playing opportunities. Alexander is just tired of the noisy and chaotic life in the British capital and feels like living in calmer surroundings. I can only confirm that some of the world's biggest clubs are interested in him. Everything will be done properly and I am sure that the situation surrounding this issue will finally be resolved in the next ten days. If any clubs want to add Hleb to their ranks then they should hold talks with Arsenal. Nobody is hiding the fact that a player of his class is of interest to all teams, including Barcelona and Real Madrid."
Who? - Sergio Ramos - Speculation Where is he? - Real Madrid Who is he linked with? - Chelsea
Real Madrid and Spain defender Sergio Ramos has firmly slammed the door shut on a summer move away from the Primera Liga champions. Both AC Milan and Chelsea were rumoured to be lining up mega-money bids for the versatile 22-year-old, but Ramos insists he is going nowhere. He told Marca Radio: "I am very sure that I am staying. I am flattered that great teams like AC Milan or Chelsea are interested in me. That is a sign that things are going well for me and drives you on to keep improving and playing better for Real Madrid. I have a very long contract and the only thing I think about is retiring here. I am very comfortable with my team-mates, the club and the city and so are my family. Also I feel calm. I have renewed my contract and I am very pleased with the deal I have, although one always aspires to improve and grow in every aspect."
